The field of this invention relates to surgery tools and more particularly to a tool which is to facilitate surgery of the eye for the purpose of improving vision.
Nearsightedness is generally believed to be a heritary condition that results in an abnormal focus of the eye partly due to the shape of the cornea (the frontal surface of the eye through which light rays pass). When this condition exists, images come to focus within the eye rather than at the retina (near the back edge of the eye). This allows only those objects that are close to be seen clearly when the image is transmitted by the eye's optic nerve from the retina to the brain.
There is a new microsurgical technique known as a radial keratotomy which consists of making a series (generally sixteen in number) radial incisions, three to four millimeters long, in the surface of the cornea. These incisions flatten the cornea, altering the path of the light waves and moving the focus back to the retina resulting in clearer vision. It is not at all uncommon for an extremely nearsighted individual, after this surgical technique, to have vision of 20/20 (or close thereto) which is commonly deemed to be the most desirable vision.
Currently, this surgical technique is performed with the surgeon making the required plurality of cuts individually. These cuts must be made with a high degree of precision. Specifically, the depth of the cuts has to be very closely controlled as well as the length of the cut and the position of the cut. This is difficult to do by hand by even the most experienced and competent surgeon. Also, it appears that the most desirable number of cuts is approximately sixteen in number. Such individual precise forming of such a large number of cuts is a very time consuming procedure. Surgery time is most expensive.
There is a definite need for the use of a tool which could precisely create the desired number of cuts within an eye with a minimum amount of time. Also, it would be desirable if the tool could be employed by individuals which do not necessarily have the highest degree of surgical skill.